Small boutique tube amplifier workshops tucked away in the middle of nowhere – handcrafting charming little SET gems with questionable measurements but magical sound – are a dime a dozen.
Canor is different. Founded in 1995 by Zdeňek Březovják in Prešov, Slovakia, they do build fantastically sounding tube amplifiers, but that’s pretty much where the similarities with that romanticized image end. The company’s first amplifier, the TP-101, was fairly conventional and typical for its class, yet from the very beginning Březovják thought beyond just making amps: he positioned Canor as an OEM supplier for components such as aluminum enclosures.
A smart move – this strategy not only put the company on a rock-solid financial foundation (Canor supplies several major high-end audio brands), but the know-how accumulated over three decades has also enabled an extraordinary degree of vertical integration for a company of this kind. Not only are the housings made in-house, but the circuit boards are also produced on highly automated production lines.
When it comes to development and design, Canor couldn’t be further removed from the stereotypical garage manufacturer: the proprietary Aladdin measurement system automatically tests all incoming tubes and feeds the results into a matching database, ensuring minimal value variances within each set. With touch-based control concepts, streaming integration, and innovative cooling systems inspired by gaming PCs, Canor brings the warm, charming sound of tubes firmly into the 21st century.
We extend our warmest congratulations on the company’s 30th anniversary – and wish many more decades of innovative solutions with a classic heart.